Tag: patriots

A second reason, however, was that I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism. On the available evidence, I suspect that it is Lord Ashcroft’s idea of being a mug.

J.K. Rowling
The single mother’s manifesto
Clearly, they’re still teaching formal reasoning in Jolly Old England.
Yet more evidence that it’s past time to give the colonies back.

Pity Poor Iowa

Iowa representative Steve King thinks the terrorist attack on the IRS building in Austin was completely justifiable, perhaps even legitimate:

KING: It’s sad the incident in Texas happened, but by the same token, it’s an agency that is unnecessary and when the day comes when that is over and we abolish the IRS, it’s going to be a happy day for America.

TP: So some of his grievances were legitimate?

KING: I don’t know if his grievances were legitimate, I’ve read part of the material. I can tell you I’ve been audited by the IRS and I’ve had the sense of ‘why is the IRS in my kitchen.’ Why do they have their thumb in the middle of my back.

As with returning the colonies to Her Britannic Majesty, nothing would make me happier than exempting Iowa from compliance with the IRS and from the painful reality of receiving any of those pesky federal dollars:

Iowa taxpayers receive more federal funding per dollar of federal taxes paid compared to the average state. Per dollar of federal tax collected in 2005, Iowa citizens received approximately $1.10 in the way of federal spending. This ranks the state 24th nationally and represents a rise from 1995 when Iowa received $1.06 per dollar of taxes in federal spending (then ranked 26th nationally). Neighboring states and the amount of federal spending they received per dollar of federal taxes paid were: Minnesota ($0.72), Wisconsin ($0.86), Illinois ($0.75), Missouri ($1.32), Nebraska ($1.10), and South Dakota ($1.53).

Seriously. Let’s get the “thumb” out of their back once and for all. I’m sure they’ll be much happier. Any other states care to apply? Maybe they’d like to watch the example of Iowa first.